Kitchen island
Island Dream Designer Rebekah Zaveloff of KitchenLab Interiors created an island with vintage charm for this kitchen in Oak Park, Illinois. Rather than a typical block of cabinets topped with a counter, she designed one with legs on the seating side and varied massing to create more of a custom furniture look. The island countertop is Sapphire Pearl quartzite. The designer specified a built-up mitered edge to give it a thicker appearance. This makes it stand out from the perimeter counters and adds to the custom look of the island.
Stepping back inside, the kitchen is wide open to the great room and also enjoys expansive views of the surrounding woods and mountains. The island provides a nice transition between the great room space and the kitchen and can serve as a buffet when the drop-leaf table is serving a dinner group. The island is different from the rest of the cabinet in that it is painted gray and has a countertop of thick, leathered Fantasy Brown marble, which is harder than most marbles and is sometimes marketed as a quartzite. The tall white cabinet between the two spaces is the beverage station. The couple wanted spring water readily available but hated the look of water coolers. “And I’m really lazy in the mornings, but I want my coffee,” Starla says. Inside the cabinet is a system that holds a 5-gallon water bottle cooler and hot-water system and a Keurig, so it’s all one easy stop to get it ready in the morning.
3. Galley With fewer frills and a straightforward design, galley islands are built to be workhorses. They can be a good fit for any type of kitchen layout, assuming that there’s enough space for one. Pros. Often considered the quintessential island design for open-concept kitchens, galley islands ensure that your space has flow and remains efficient with their streamlined design. They usually maximize storage space because there aren’t any corners or curves. Appliances and stored items are always accessible. The design also favors bar-style seating.
Sucuri Granite Countertop sourced from Shenoy or Midwest Tile in Austin, TX; Kent Moore Cabinets (Painted Nebulous Gray-Low-Mocha-Hilite), Island painted Misty Bayou-Low; Backsplash - Marazzi (AMT), Studio M (Brick), Flamenco, 13 x 13 Mesh 1-1/4" x 5/8"; Flooring - Earth Werks, "5" Prestige, Handsculpted Maple, Graphite Maple Finish; Pendant Lights - Savoy House - Structure 4 Light Foyer, SKU: 3-4302-4-242; Barstools - New Pacific Direct - item # 108627-2050; The wall color is PPG Ashen 516-4.
I recently built a home with a counter height island and needed seating. The qualities I found essential for the chairs were: What to look for for comfort *an 18" deep seat area upholstered in a way to prevent pressure on the back of people's legs, *a foot rest that allowed feet to be in front of the chair-not knees bent back under the seat, *a back support for the lower back at the right angle, *and the ability to swivel the chair to get in and out. Chairs with these qualities were not easy to find.
Traditional Kitchen by Southern Living Southern Living Email Save 5. Upholstered A fabric or leather bar stool is a classic choice with limitless possibilities. Whether you lean toward a casual linen slipcover or tightly tailored leather, going the upholstered route ensures a comfortable piece perfectly suited to your preferences. The bar stools and breakfast chairs in this kitchen are quietly covered in off-white fabrics, but this allows the pillows and Roman shades to stand in as the more vocal accents.
Many outdoor-safe bar and counter stools are now crafted from a low-maintenance resin substitute that looks just like traditional wicker, but with enhanced durability — hooray! Inside or outside, at the beach or at the lake, you can depend on these stools to last through many seasons of life and weather.
Wicker While sometimes considered a coastal or vintage material, wicker lends a casual texture to any kitchen and easily blends into almost any surrounding. The low backs on the stools shown in this kitchen provide just the right amount of comfort while not impeding the view from the breakfast room to the stove.
There is too much going on i this beautiful kitchen White-and-wood combo. White oak island in a soft finish with a marble baseboard. Perimeter cabinets painted in White Flour by Sherwin-Williams. “Because the kitchen is so large, we felt the addition of a second finish would offer warmth and break up all the white,” Morrison says. “We also like how stain finishes wear on an island.” Other special features. Coffered ceiling. Handmade, hand-glazed backsplash tiles. Designer tip. “I would recommend creating two islands when your single island exceeds 10 feet in length, so it is not such a monstrosity to get around within the workspace,” Morrison says. “Another tip would be to offset the sink on the island. Often we find people want to place their prep sinks on center with the island and range, but offsetting it allows for a much nicer prep-space surface.”
Read White-and-wood combo. Rift-cut white oak island in a clear water-based finish. Perimeter cabinets painted in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore. “This space is surrounded by massive windows and skylights that provide amazing natural light,” builder Preston Johns says. “We went with the all-white color scheme to create a nice clean and bright transitional space. We have been loving the all-white trend but wanted to add in some warmth since it’s such a large space. Also, the wood island base gives a soft contrast to feature the waterfall countertop.” Other special features. Calacatta Verona quartz backsplash and countertops. White oak hardwood floors. Satin-brass hardware and other gold-tone accents.
White-and-wood combo. Walnut island in desert sand stain. Perimeter cabinets painted in Dover White by Sherwin-Williams. “I chose the soft white paint for a bright, clean, classic look,” Rasmussen says. “Since the island is the workhorse in this kitchen, stain is a practical yet beautiful choice. With the trash pullout and counter stools, and with kicking feet and pots and pans being pulled out of the big drawers, the stain will take the abuse and can be easily touched up.”
7. Microwave Drawer Designer: Jennifer Jacob of Builders’ General Supply Location: Ocean Gate, New Jersey Size: 204 square feet (19 square meters); 10 feet, 10 inches by 18 feet, 8 inches Homeowners’ request. Update a childhood home by expanding the kitchen while preserving the water view, which meant minimizing upper cabinets. Kitchen island end. Microwave drawer. “I like to locate the microwave close to the refrigerator for convenience, and we didn’t want to compromise the wall cabinetry space,” designer Jennifer Jacob says. “With the addition of the second sink and dishwasher, we were running out of options for the microwave, so placing the microwave drawer at the end of the island was our best option.” Other special features. White Fantasy granite countertops. Furniture-style island base with shiplap paneling on the back. Multiple wall sconces. Backsplash is white Carrara marble mini tile in a fish-scale pattern. “Uh-oh” moment. “The challenge in this kitchen was the limited wall-cabinet space,” Jacob says. “I had to figure out how to maximize storage while not compromising the view. We chose to make space for large windows to maximize the view, and then utilize every w...
6. Garbage-and-Recycling Cabinet and Slim Refrigerator Designer: Chad Esslinger Design Location: Downers Grove, Illinois Size: 200 square feet (19 square meters) Homeowners’ request. Update a cramped and dated kitchen to include new cabinets, appliances, a custom island that could seat the whole family and a new wall of pantry cabinets. Kitchen island end. A dual garbage-and-recycling cabinet, a utensil drawer and a slim beverage fridge. Other special features. Rich green cabinets (Rainy Afternoon by Benjamin Moore). Knotty alder wood island. Geometric-pattern cement tile on the sink wall. Lighting and cabinet hardware with an antique brass finish. Designer tip. “I tell clients all the time, there is no need for an island and a kitchen table within a few feet of each other,” designer Chad Esslinger says. “Losing the kitchen table and expanding and upgrading the island, as well as adding the wall of pantry cabinets, was a huge game-changer.” “Uh-oh” moment. The homeowner taking the lead on the project “was just a little bit nervous about painting her cabinets a bold color, but once we saw the sample up, it was ‘game on,’” Esslinger says.
5. Refrigerator Drawers Designer: Kelly Nelson Designs Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Size: 600 square feet (56 square meters); 20 by 30 feet Homeowners’ request. For this new-construction beach house, the owners wanted an open, airy kitchen, dining and family room area, with room in the kitchen for several people to cook at the same time. Kitchen island end. Two refrigerator drawers store soft drinks and other things that can easily be grabbed without the need to search through the refrigerator. “It’s great for kids and adults,” says designer Kelly Nelson, whose client found her by searching for designers on Houzz. “Nobody wants to have to move everything out of the refrigerator just to find a juice box.” Other special features. Light blue cabinets (Tidewater by Sherwin-Williams). Coffered ceiling. Designer tip. “I think putting a second large sink at the very end of the range counter run, down by the banquette seating area, was a smart move,” Nelson says. “Having it a little removed from everything else gives kids with dirty hands or people doing prep work more space to spread out. I also think going with lighting that has some texture and more of an informal feel was...
Custom Drawers for Extra-Large Items Designer: Jan Goldman of Kitchen Elements Location: Kensington, Maryland Size: 315 square feet (29 square meters) Homeowners’ request. Integrate the dining room with the kitchen, creating one larger space. “The hope for an island was the driving force in the redesign,” designer Jan Goldman says. “The island surface dramatically increases the work surface, so that the kitchen could account for more than one person to work in the kitchen at the same time.” Kitchen island end. Two top drawers store napkins, place mats and other tableware close to a nearby bistro table. The bottom drawer stores a large stockpot that one of the homeowners wanted easy access to. “This tall stockpot was not going to fit in the pot-and-pan drawers to the left and right of the range,” Goldman says. “I need both of those drawer cabinets to be exactly the same dimensions to each other. Since she needed a particularly tall or deep bottom drawer, I suggested the end of the island, and tableware items in the two drawers above.” Other special features. Graphic Moroccan-style backsplash tile, which was the jumping-off point for this kitchen design and helped determine the n...
he upper cabinets on either side of the range feature bifold doors, an ergonomic choice that allows Bill to easily access the contents without having to reach around a cabinet door when cooking. This view also shows the nonstructural hand-hewn reclaimed-wood beam in the ceiling. “We wanted to add texture, and I wanted to balance out the more elegant details in the kitchen,” Caroline says.
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